Reproduction and Accompanying Fauna of Red Mason Bee Osmia rufa L. (syn. Osmia bicornis L.) in Areas with Different Levels of Urbanization

Barbara Zajdel,Kornelia Kucharska,Dariusz Teper,Mikołaj Borański

doi:10.2478/jas-2021-0009

Abstract

Abstract An increasing number of studies show that urbanized areas are habitats of high biological value and ecological significance. Most bee species live in areas altered by man, either in cities - fragmented urban habitats - or in large rural monocultures. Our research is based on three-year observations of population development of the solitary bee Osmia rufa L. in three habitat types: city, suburbs and villages. We compared reproductive parameters and diversity of accompanying nest fauna. Population growth rate was high in all habitats, exceeding five times the number of cocoons placed in the previous year. We found no significant differences in the number of cocoons and brood mortality between areas with different urbanization levels. In nests located in suburbs, parasites and cleptoparasites occupied almost three times more nest chambers than in other habitats. Changes in the habitat structure had a significant impact on the diversity and abundance of accompanying fauna. Our study shows that red mason bees are flexible and easily adapt to new conditions, despite changes caused by urbanization and agriculture.

Highlights

Urban expansion causes the destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats (Kearns et al, 1998; Biesmeijer et al, 2006; Ewers & Didham, 2006), which has a negative impact on their biodiversity (McKinney, 2002)
We found no significant differences in the number of cocoons and brood mortality between areas with different urbanization levels
Our research has shown that Osmia rufa population develop just as well in every area regardless of the level of urbanization

Summary

Introduction

Urban expansion causes the destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats (Kearns et al, 1998; Biesmeijer et al, 2006; Ewers & Didham, 2006), which has a negative impact on their biodiversity (McKinney, 2002). More than 80% of urban areas are large impermeable surfaces such as buildings, roads and sidewalks, which limit the access of plants and animals to soil and water and prevent their migration (Blair & Launer, 1997). Urbanization increases the loss of native species (Czech et al, 2000) and the spread of alien species, as the site of Adelaide,a city in southern Australia, where 132 of the total number of native species have died out locally and 648 alien species (mostly plants) have arrived. The number of non-native species is increasing while the native species are decreasing in urban centers, which is related to the “urban-rural gradient” (Blair & Launer, 1997). Changes in the urban landscape reduce the number of bird species (Savard et al, 2000) and mammals (Tait et al, 2005), especially in isolated areas. Fragmentation causes changes in the structure of Zajdel et AL

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Results

Conclusion